Everywhere we turn, we hear negative financial news—that the
American Dream is dead or that the little man can’t get ahead.
Our culture feeds us the lie that it’s impossible to become a
millionaire in America today, but it’s time you heard the truth.

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of
all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an
underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big,
Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. But it’s hard to get your come
up when you’re labeled a hoodlum at school and your fridge at
home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her
anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral…for
all the wrong reasons.

From one of America’s most inspiring political leaders, a book
about the core truths that unite us, and the long struggle to
discern what those truths are and how best to act upon them, in
her own life and across the life of our country.

Ex-NFL player, gentleman scholar, and Fox Sports personality
Marcellus Wiley sucks you into a world of inner-city violence,
Ivy League intrigue, and pro-football escapades that’s one part
touching, one part hilarious, and all parts impossible to put
down.

Winner of the 2016 Newbery Medal
A 2016 Caldecott Honor Book
A 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
A New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book of
2015
A Wall Street Journal Best Children’s Book of 2015

In their first collaboration since the Newbery Medal- and
Caldecott Honor-winning Last Stop on Market Street, Matt de
la Peña and Christian Robinson deliver a poignant and timely new
picture book that’s sure to be an instant classic.

Veteran White House reporter April Ryan thought she had seen
everything in her two decades as a White House correspondent. And
then came the Trump administration.

In Under Fire, Ryan takes us inside the confusion and chaos
of the Trump White House to understand how she and other
reporters adjusted to the new normal. She takes us inside the
policy debates, the revolving door of personnel appointments, and
what it is like when she, as a reporter asking difficult
questions, finds herself in the spotlight, becoming part of the
story.

Tina Turner—the long-reigning queen of rock & roll and living
legend—sets the record straight about her illustrious career and
complicated personal life in this eye-opening and compelling
memoir.

From her early years in Nutbush, Tennessee to her rise to fame
alongside Ike Turner to her phenomenal success in the 1980s and
beyond, Tina candidly examines her personal history, from her
darkest hours to her happiest moments and everything in
between.

Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the
desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth.
Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother
at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in
prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was
kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by
the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him
from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away.

A major literary event: a never-before-published work from the
author of the American classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God
which brilliantly illuminates the horror and injustices of
slavery as it tells the true story of the last known survivor of
the Atlantic slave trade — illegally smuggled from Africa on the
last ”Black Cargo” ship to arrive in the United States. In
1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, Alabama, to interview
ninety-five-year-old Cudjo Lewis.

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor
neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school
she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered
when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best
friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was
unarmed.

A convention-defying novel by bestselling writer Walter
Mosley, John Woman recounts the transformation of an
unassuming boy named Cornelius Jones into John Woman, an
unconventional history professor―while the legacy of a hideous
crime lurks in the shadows.

From Pete Souza, the #1 New York Times bestselling
author of Obama: An Intimate Portrait, comes a powerful
tribute to a bygone era of integrity in politics.

As Chief Official White House Photographer, Pete Souza spent more
time alongside President Barack Obama than almost anyone else.
His years photographing the President gave him an intimate
behind-the-scenes view of the unique gravity of the Office of the
Presidency—and the tremendous responsibility that comes with
it.

Becoming is the autobiographical memoir of former United States
First Lady Michelle Obama published in 2018. Described by the
author as a deeply personal experience, the book talks about her
roots and how she found her voice, as well as her time in the
White House, her public health campaign, and her role as a
mother.

PS7 Elementary hosted its first ever Career Day on Friday, April
19th! Our students dressed up as their future selves – teachers,
pilots, music artists, athletes and more – and were able to
explore and hear from professionals in and around the Oak Park
community. As part of the learning experience, students had the
opportunity to see an actual human brain thanks to researchers
from UC Davis; they put in some sweat with a personal trainer;
and, listened to each other’s heartbeats with a stethoscope like
a pediatric nurse.

Before winning the Transforming Youth through Travel scholarship
by Context Travel, the only country outside of America I had
visited was my parents’ homeland, Mexico. Paris is not what the
movies or people make it seem to be, and it is certainly very
different from both America and Mexico. My recent trip to Paris
was amazing and life changing because I learned so much about the
city’s history.

St. HOPE Public Schools recently celebrated its annual Admissions
Lottery along with its first ever Oak Park Block Party held at
the newly completed Esther’s Park. The Oak Park community
gathered for a day of family-friendly fun, food trucks, and a
live DJ. Incoming PS7 and Sacramento Charter High
School scholars and families also had an opportunity to meet
the St. HOPE staff during the Admissions Lottery.

Last month St. HOPE officially launched its newest development,
Esther’s Park! The park, located at 3408 Third Avenue, was
created after the unfortunate fall of the historic Esther’s
Bakery and will serve as an event space for hosting community
gatherings. It is home to a beautiful mural done by Sacramento
Charter High School alumni, Aizik Brown, which was part of last
year’s Sacramento’s Wide Open Wall event.

This year marks the 15th year anniversary of The Best of Sac High
Student Art Exhibition and we are proud to celebrate it with
students, their families and the entire St. HOPE team. Throughout
the years we have endeavored to keep this wonderful tradition
alive, showcasing the outstanding talents our students possess.
We once again present to you the best artistic work from the some
of our most expressive students at Sacramento High School.

Each year, Sac High prides itself in exposing ALL students to
college life, and this year was no exception. In December,
students were able to select their annual college trip to a vast
array of Northern California universities, including UC Berkeley,
Chico State, CSU East Bay, UC Merced, Sacramento State, and
Sonoma State. By the time a Sac High student graduates,
they have been provided with the opportunity to visit at least
four different college campuses – those students involved in EAOP
and College Track visit far more!

Although the priority deadline to apply for the St. HOPE Public
Schools (SHPS) 2019-2020 Admissions Lottery has passed, the
2019-2020 Admissions Lottery and Oak Park Block Party will take
place on Thursday, April 18, 2019 and is sure to be total fun in
the sun!

The Block Party will take place at the newly-opened Esther’s Park
located at 3408 3rd Avenue from 4:00pm-7:00pm and is
free to attend! There will be a live DJ, BBQ, Face painting and
so much more! Come hang out with us!

The Oak Park Speaker Series, presented by Underground Books, hosted a special edition of the series featuring Reverend Al Sharpton on March 18, 2019 at The Guild Theater.

Former Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson highlighted the legacy of Stephon Clark – exactly one year after Stephon’s tragic death – along with special guests, Dr. Tecoy Porter, pastor of Genesis Church and President of the Sacramento Chapter of the National Action Network, along with attorney Benjamin Crump, representative for the families of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown.

Since our scholars must be holistically healthy to achieve their
optimal academic potential, we launched St. HOPE’s first Public
Health Fair to provide resources that could benefit our students
and their families’ psychological, physical, nutritional,
medical, and emotional health and well-being.

Underground Books and The Guild Theater are proud to present Rev.
Al Sharpton on Monday, March 18, 2019.

With over 40 years of experience as a community leader,
politician, minister and advocate, the Rev. Al Sharpton is one of
America’s most-renowned civil rights leaders.
Sharpton’s highly visible career began at the tender age of four
when he preached his first sermon.

Each year PS7 Elementary hosts a Family Literacy Night. The night
is full of fun literacy games that families can play on their own
at home with their scholars, and families have the opportunity to
visit the Scholastic Book Fair. This year, PS7 made the event
BIGGER and BETTER than ever! With the hope of exposing
scholars to a plethora of cultures and diverse reads, the theme
was #ReadingMakesYourWorldBIG! …and a BIG week it
was!

The 2018-19 basketball season has unfortunately come to an end,
but it definitely did not go away quietly. Both the boys’ and
girls’ teams fought until the end of this grueling season that
lasted from October to March.

PS7 Middle School scholars had the opportunity to learn all about
animals in their science classes with the Sacramento Mobile Zoo
Program. Scholars attended a one-hour lesson with the Sac Zoo on
the PS7M campus, in which they learned about four different
animals. They had the opportunity to learn about the history of
the animal, how it came to be at the Sac Zoo, and even pet each
animal. Our scholars had a great time expanding their knowledge
about different animals and were eager to learn more.

The Sac High Outdoors Club (SHOC) is an effort to introduce our
students to the great outdoors where they can find the sort of
beauty and peace that urban areas do not offer. So far, we’ve
been to Auburn, Clementine Falls, Feather Falls, and most
recently Cosumnes Preserve. At Cosumnes Preserve, we were joined
by Dr. Castori and her son Sam, who identified for us bald
eagles, various water birds, red winged blackbirds, Canadian
geese, and many more! It was a great time and the students
enjoyed hiking, seeing the Cosumnes River, and learning about the
natural environment.

Some neighborhoods get pushed to the side, separated
(figuratively and sometimes literally) from the heart of a city
and left to face growing rates of crime, poverty, unemployment,
or other harmful consequences.

For too long, that was the story of the Oak Park neighborhood
near downtown Sacramento, California. Through a concerted
effort by a local non-profit in the community for the last 30
years, we are seeing real change and an upward trajectory. The
Oak Park story provides lessons and hope for similarly situated
communities across the country.

The Guild Theater, originally known as the Victor Theater, was
designed and completed in 1915. At that time, it featured movies
and vaudeville shows for the community.

The theater eventually fell into a state of disrepair and
remained vacant for many years. In 2003, St. HOPE updated and
restored the Guild Theater to showcase plays, movies, live
performances, and more.

One of the most exciting perks of being a PS7 scholar and staff
member is our community partnership with the Sacramento Kings!
Throughout the basketball season, the Kings community program
graciously donates tickets to different games to St. HOPE. We are
then able to reward staff, scholars and families with FREE KINGS
TICKETS! Who doesn’t love a Kings game?! Many times, these
tickets are used to incentivize positive behavior, leadership,
and perseverance. Other times, these tickets are used as rewards!